The invention described herein was made in the performance of official duties by a employees of the Department of the Navy and may be manufactured, used, licensed by or for the Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon.
The invention relates generally to in-air product dispensing operations, and more particularly to a product wrapping that incorporates an air drag device to slow the product""s descent when it is released into an aircraft""s slipstream.
Currently, products such as food packets, sand bags, supplies and other materials that must be air dropped or air-delivered for military or civilian (e.g., disaster relief, emergency response, etc.) purposes are released directly into a delivering aircraft""s slipstream. The weight (e.g., on the order of 10-100 pounds or more) of these products can make them a substantial hazard to personnel on the ground. Further, if some or many of the products are damaged upon impact with the ground, a mission""s goal may be compromised.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air drag device that can slow a product""s descent when the product is released into an aircraft""s slipstream.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a product wrapping that incorporates an air drag device to slow the product""s descent when it is released into a relatively moving airstream.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a product wrapping that incorporates an air drag device that slows a product after it has been dispensed into the air from an aircraft and that is easily removed from the product wrapping after the product has reached the ground.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided for slowing the speed of a product released into the air from an aircraft. A flexible material wrapped about a product includes a tethered portion thereof that is collapsible against the product prior to release thereof from the aircraft and expandable to form an air drag device after the product is released from the aircraft. The tethered portion can be made from a variety of plastics with or without fiber reinforcements impregnated therein.